River Road Asset Management LLC Decreases Stock Holdings in Valmont Industries, Inc. (NYSE:VMI)

River Road Asset Management LLC reduced its position in shares of Valmont Industries, Inc. (NYSE:VMI - Free Report) by 53.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 11,087 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 12,689 shares during the period. River Road Asset Management LLC owned 0.05% of Valmont Industries worth $3,215,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Valmont Industries by 3.5% during the third quarter. Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC now owns 3,746 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,086,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. BSW Wealth Partners purchased a new stake in shares of Valmont Industries during the third quarter worth $217,000. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its position in shares of Valmont Industries by 40.0% in the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 11,493 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $3,332,000 after buying an additional 3,284 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Valmont Industries by 115.5% in the third quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 7,296 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,115,000 after buying an additional 3,910 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Congress Asset Management Co. lifted its stake in shares of Valmont Industries by 16.3% in the third quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 47,863 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $13,878,000 after buying an additional 6,718 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.84% of the company's stock.

Valmont Industries Trading Up 7.0 %

NYSE:VMI traded up $22.82 on Wednesday, reaching $349.20. The company's stock had a trading volume of 241,840 shares, compared to its average volume of 155,894. The firm has a market cap of $7.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.72 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a quick ratio of 1.55, a current ratio of 2.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. Valmont Industries, Inc. has a 12-month low of $192.94 and a 12-month high of $352.57. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $292.95 and a 200 day moving average price of $274.90.

Valmont Industries (NYSE:VMI - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The industrial products company reported $4.11 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.00 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $1.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.02 billion. Valmont Industries had a net margin of 7.38% and a return on equity of 23.10%. Valmont Industries's revenue for the quarter was down 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $4.12 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Valmont Industries, Inc. will post 16.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valmont Industries Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 27th will be paid a dividend of $0.60 per share. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.69%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 27th. Valmont Industries's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 16.30%.

Insider Transactions at Valmont Industries

In related news, Director Mogens C. Bay sold 17,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $316.48, for a total transaction of $5,380,160.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 154,730 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $48,968,950.40. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Valmont Industries news, Director Mogens C. Bay sold 17,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $316.48, for a total value of $5,380,160.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 154,730 shares of the company's stock, valued at $48,968,950.40. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, VP R Andrew Massey sold 3,977 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, October 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.00, for a total value of $1,252,755.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 9,408 shares in the company, valued at $2,963,520. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 2.00% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on VMI shares. StockNews.com raised shares of Valmont Industries from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, August 12th. DA Davidson boosted their price objective on Valmont Industries from $340.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on Valmont Industries from $350.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th.

About Valmont Industries

Valmont Industries, Inc operates as manufacturer of products and services for infrastructure and agriculture markets in the United States, Australia, Brazil, and internationally. It operates through two segments, Infrastructure and Agriculture. The company manufactures and distributes steel, pre-stressed concrete, composite structures for electrical transmission, substation, and distribution applications; and designs, engineers, and manufactures metal, steel, wood, aluminum, and composite poles and structures for lighting and transportation applications.